KARACHI - A paediatric ICU will be established in the Trauma Centre building of the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) while another ICU set up at the medical ward is being expanded to facilitate maximum number of patients, concerned sources revealed to The Nation on Friday. It may be mentioned here that earlier there was no paediatric ICU in the said hospital. The sources said that planned paediatric ICU will consist of five beds and two ventilators would be installed there. The development work has been completed and it would be opened for child patients as per requirement. The need for establishment of a paediatric ICU was being felt since long due to increasing number of child patients. However, now it is being set up with the help of private-public partnership and philanthropists. "A full-time child specialist will be appointed at this ICU and the department will also be provided with a computerised monitoring system", sources said. A few months back, city nazim Mustafa Kamal had paid a surprise visit to the hospital and expressed his annoyance over the poor facilities there. He had warned the doctors and paramedical staff of strict disciplinary action in case of any negligence in providing required facilities to the patients. City nazim also appointed Dr Mashooduz Zafar as the MS of ASH, with a view to improve the functioning of the hospital and provision of better relief to patients. When contacted, Dr Mashood, said that paediatric ICU has been established in the Trauma Centre and it would soon be opened for child patients. He said only Rs 5 per patient would be charged for treatment at this facility. Dr Mashood added the ICU established at the medical ward has also been upgraded from 5 to 18 beds. He said that an audiologist lab for diagnoses of ear diseases was also nearing completion at the hospital while the ENT ward would be renovated in near future.